Utah-Brazil Trade Mission a SuccessUtah recognized by Brazil as important trade partner

Salt Lake City, UTAH —Brazilian business leaders and government officials warmly welcomed the Utah delegation Monday, September 23, by presenting Gary Neeleman Honorary Consul of Brazil, with an honorary citizen award from the City of Sao Paolo, and signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

The honorary citizen award was presented to Gary Neeleman for his tireless efforts in improving relationships between the U.S. and Brazil. This is a very rare and prestigious award that has only been given out three other times. The Brazilian government has recognized the efforts Utah is making to strengthen trade relationships and increase exports to Brazil.

“I am very humbled by this honor coming from one of the largest cities in the world. A City my wife, Rose, and I, along with my children have grown to love over these many years,” said Gary Neeleman, Honorary Consul of Brazil.

Utah is a key player in the Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS) industry. To help expand the UVS industry in Brazil, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by leaders from the State of Paraná, Brazil and Vincent E. Mikolay, Managing Director, GOED. The MOU establishes a framework which will facilitate and implement a long-term relationship between Utah and Brazil. As the relationship with Brazil is built around the MOU, advancements in business exports, development, investment and research of UVS will expand in both Utah and Brazil.

“The State of Paraná in Brazil and our great State share a parallel path in history, culture, economic principles and an industriousness of people that connect us far beyond this MOU,” said Vincent Mikolay, Managing Director, GOED. “However the focus of this document will be to engage in the sharing of best practices across key disciplines of interest to both our people.”

The Utah delegation will return on September 28th after visiting the cities of Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Londrina, and Rio de Janeiro, for business match making meetings with potential Brazilian customers. The success of this trade mission will become apparent as we see Utah exports to Brazil increase in the near future.

###

About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) Web: www.business.utah.gov

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) charter is based on Governor Gary Herbert’s commitment to economic development statewide. Utah’s economic development vision is that Utah will lead the nation as the best performing economy and be recognized as a premier global business destination. The mandate for this office is to provide rich business resources for the creation, growth and recruitment of companies to Utah and to increase tourism and film production in the state. GOED accomplishes this mission through the administration of programs that are based around targeted industries or “economic clusters” that demonstrate the best potential for development. GOED utilizes state resources and private sector contracts to fulfill its mission. For more information please contact: Michael Sullivan, 801-538-8811 or mgsullivan@utah.gov.